Have a medical procedure or spend a week at a beach. That’s a choice Travis Agee had to make this past summer.
For football’s sake, the Plano East running back chose the former. He had a chance to go to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., but that would have meant a week away from his training. He did need to get his tonsils removed anyway.
“It took a lot of control, but I don’t think I missed a single day of work. I think it has showed on the field,” Agee said. “Playing football means more to me than the beach.”
What Agee has shown on the field has been impressive. It has been a tribute to his work, and his resiliency to the bitter way the 2023 season ended for him.
Agee has an area Class 6A high for rushing with 581 yards while adding two touchdowns. He has helped Plano East start 3-0, 1-0 in District 6-6A heading into Friday’s game against Plano West (0-3, 0-1) at Clark Stadium. Agee has already exceeded his 2023 total when he had a team-high of 528 yards and three touchdowns rushing over nine games.
Agee said weightlifting was the offseason work that has helped him the most. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound junior improved his best in the bench press from 200 to 265 pounds as well as improving his squat from 355 to 415 pounds.
“I definitely improved my strength,” Agee said. “It helps with changing direction and when you’re trying to gain extra yards.”
Plano East coach Tony Benedetto said he felt Agee could be a good running back at the high school level when he watched him play for Murphy Middle School. That faith led to an increased role as last season went on. Agee had a breakthrough performance with 100 yards and a touchdown against Flower Mound on Oct. 6. Agee was even more clutch in the regular-season finale, going for 95 yards as Plano East beat Flower Mound Marcus 30-18, a victory that clinched Plano East’s first playoff appearance since 2018.
That victory was bitter for Agee. During that game, he suffered a turf-toe injury on his left big toe. That kept him out of Plano East’s 41-3 loss to Prosper in the bi-district round of the playoffs.
“I was sick to sit on the sideline of that game,” Agee said. “I could have helped the team. It was sad.”
Agee said the injury was inspiration in the offseason. It also forged a personal gauntlet.
“I stretch about three times as much as I did last year,” Agee said. “I will not get hurt this year.”
Both Agee and Benedetto credited Plano East running backs coach Patrick Handy – a former defensive lineman at SMU – for making Agee better in the offseason. Agee’s production continues Handy’s recent success in coaching running backs that includes Ismail Mahdi, a current standout at Texas State. Mahdi led the nation with 2,169 all-purpose yards, including 1,331 yards rushing.
“Travis is extremely aggressive, and that’s hard to find these days,” Benedetto said. “What I’ve been impressed with the most since last year is his knowledge of the game. One example is how he’s improved in pass protection.”
Agee had a career-high 252 yards rushing with two touchdowns in a 44-21 win over Princeton last week. Agee is on a current pace that could reach 2,000 yards this season, but he says he does not pay attention to such individual milestones, especially with the opponents in 6-6A. Prosper is a district opponent now and Plano East will conclude this season with a road game against perennial power Allen on Nov. 7.
“One game is the best way to do it,” Agee said. “If I think about something like a 2,000-yard season I’ll be off focus.”
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